“Clinically, I Was Dead…”: Shreyas Talpade Opens Up About “Second Chance At Life” After Massive Cardiac Arrest
Actor Shreyas Talpade, who recently suffered a massive heart attack, spoke about his near-death experience.
Indian actor Shreyas Talpade entered movies with a minor role in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's ‘Aankhen’ in 2002. Over the years, he has carved a special place for himself in the entertainment industry with his dramatic and comedic roles. In his career spanning two decades, he has collaborated with filmmakers such as Farah Khan and Rohit Shetty. Shreyas Talpade’s movie ‘Iqbal’ was a springboard for the actor as he gained widespread acclaim after featuring it in. Apart from ‘Iqbal’, he showcased his acting chops in projects like ‘Dor’, ‘Golmaal’ movie series, ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe?’, ‘Om Shanti Om’ and more.
Shreyas Talpade, who was working on the upcoming multi-starrer ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, recently underwent angioplasty after suffering a heart attack. The Indian actor spoke about his harrowing experience in an interview with The Times Of India.
In the recent interview, Shreyas Talpade said that he had never been hospitalised before in his life, and that the health emergency has made him realise that “jaan hai toh jahaan hai”. He also told TOI that he was “clinically dead”.
Shreyas Talpade recalled the day he suffered a cardiac arrest, and said that he was working on the upcoming comedy film, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’.
Elaborating on what happened on the day of his cardiac arrest, the ‘Housefull 2’ actor said, “We were shooting in Mumbai at the SRPF grounds close to Jogeshwari for Ahmed Khan’s Welcome To The Jungle. We were doing army training sequences like swinging on a rope, falling into the water and everything was going smoothly.”
He added, “Suddenly, after the last shot, I felt breathless, and my left hand started paining. I could barely walk to my vanity van and change my clothes. I thought it was a muscle pull since we were shooting action sequences. You don’t think of the worst-case scenario, right? I had never experienced this kind of fatigue.”
Shreyas Talpade further said, “As soon as I got into the car, I felt I should head straight to the hospital, but thought I should go home first. My wife, Deepti, saw me in that state and within 10 minutes, we were on our way to the hospital. We were almost there and could see the hospital gate, but the entry was barricaded, and we had to take a U-turn. The very next moment my face went numb, and I passed out. That was a cardiac arrest. My heart had stopped beating for those few minutes. Deepti couldn’t get out of the car from her side of the door as we were stuck in traffic, so she climbed over me and got to the other side to call for help. A few people came to our rescue and rushed me inside. The doctors did CPR, electrical shock, that’s how they revived me.”
The Bollywood actor, whose two main arteries were blocked, has had a stent placed through angioplasty.
He said, “Once I regained my senses, the doctors told me that I smiled at them and conveyed sorry to my wife for putting her through this ordeal. I was kept under observation for five days. Now, I am taking one day at a time and resting it out. The doctors said post six weeks I can get back to work. My producers told me to take it easy, too. I just want to relax now, be with family for now, spend time with my daughter, watch some films and read books. When something like this happens, your family suffers the most. I can now imagine what Mr Bachchan and his family may have gone through when he suffered a near-fatal injury on the sets of Coolie.”
Having survived this near-death experience, Shreyas Talpade called this a “second chance at life”.
He said, “Clinically, I was dead. It was a massive cardiac arrest. A wake-up call would be an understatement. This is my second chance at life! I cannot tell you how thankful I am to everyone who played a role in saving my life. And, of course, my superwoman wife, who did everything she could in her capacity to save me. She is the reason we are talking today. It was overwhelming to receive this sort of love and care. These people gave me a second life and it’s a debt I can never repay, Ahmed Khan and his wife, Akki bhai, my friends and family have been visiting me at home.”
For the unversed, Shreyas Talpade was treated at Andheri’s Bellevue hospital. Meanwhile, he will next be seen in the multi-starrer ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, which is the third part of the ‘Welcome’ film series.
He will also be seen in Kangana Ranaut's ‘Emergency’, which is slated to release in theatres in 2024.
